AN: A New Year is upon us, and thus a new story! This one takes place at the end of episode 5x14, shortly after Sophie finds Blair at the Four Seasons and reminds her about the dowry the Waldorf's would have to forfeit if she does not stay married and faithful to Louis for at least a year.
"I'm going to just grab a water before heading out, if that's okay," Serena informed her stepbrother as they stepped off the elevator into his penthouse. She couldn't help overhearing the notification go off on both her phone and his simultaneously. "Gossip Girl?" she wondered as she heard him release a pained sigh.
"Why did she choose him? You know I would do anything for her," Chuck sadly lamented as he put his phone away.
"I know," Serena confirmed. It pained her to see her stepbrother so heartbroken over her best friend once more. She took a sip from the glass she had just poured herself as she thought back to earlier when they had left the hotel.
"Blair, please! You don't have to do this," she heard Chuck pleading once more with the love of his life as she stepped outside the hotel. "Don't get in the car, just let me pay the dowry!"
"Chuck, I told you – no," Blair sternly stated as she paused just outside the town car Sophie had left for her. "You know I love you but I can't have you buying my way out of this," she calmly reminded him as she reached up and gently stroked his cheek.
"Then we'll find another way," he declared. Serena couldn't see his face as his back was turned to her but she could imagine the look of desperation on his face.
"I'll have Cyrus and my father look into it for any loopholes, but until then... I'm sorry, Chuck, but I have to play along in the meantime," she sadly reminded him. Just then she looked over Chuck's shoulder and noticed Serena nearby on the curb. "S, I'm going back to my mother's to change – do you need a ride?" she called past him.
"No, B, that's okay... I... I'll be by in a bit," she replied back, knowing she should probably make sure Chuck made it home okay and didn't do anything he'd regret in the meantime.
"Alright, S – I'll be in touch!" Blair assured her. She then quickly gave Chuck a quick hug and a light kiss on the cheek, uttering "It'll all be over in a year tops," before getting in the car, leaving him standing there perplexed.
"Chuck," Serena started as she took a step forward. "Are you-"
"I don't want to talk about it," he muttered as he began walking towards his limo that had just pulled up. "If you need a ride, sis – feel free to get in. But I don't want to talk about it."
"You really shouldn't have sent that video into Gossip Girl though," she had to point out to him. If it hadn't been for that video, Louis wouldn't have shown his true colors so soon.
"Don't you mean you shouldn't have sent in that video?" Chuck curiously questioned, unsure just what Serena was getting at.
"Come on, Chuck – you can stop pretending now," Serena called him out. "I found the camera where you had left it in the bridal chamber and I put it in my purse... I figured it was worth lying and saying I had done it if it meant you two could be together..."
"But I wasn't lying..." Chuck calmly hissed, tried of everyone always thinking the worst of him. "I didn't do it."
"But if you didn't and I didn't... then who did?" Serena wondered out loud.
"I don't know, sis, but I'm telling you, it wasn't me," Chuck told her once more as he walked over to the bar and began pouring himself a drink of scotch.
"Are you going to be alright? Do I need to send mom over to check on you in the morning?" Serena asked with genuine concern for his well-being.
"While I appreciate your concern, I'll be fine – I've got an endless supply of scotch, my dog... what more could I need?" he uttered as he downed his first glass.
"It's just... I know it's been a hard day for you... I know it was weird at first when our parents first got married, but Chuck I do care about you. You know that now, right?" she had to ask.
"Serena, go home – get some sleep. I assure you, I'll be okay and besides, Nate will be home eventually so it's not like I'll be here alone," he stressed to her, just wanting her to leave so he could finally be alone with his thoughts and feelings. Blair was the only one he could completely open up to in the way he knew Serena was pressing him to.
"Okay, fine. But if you need anything, know that mom and I are both here for you," she reminded him as she gave him a hug in assurance before turning to leave. "Goodnight, Chuck."
"Night, sis," he called after her as he slumped down on the couch with his drink in hand.
Serena was halfway through The Empire's lobby when she swore she saw her best friend rushing past her, towards the elevators.
"B?" she called out, confused as to how it could be Blair, after the way she had left them at the Four Seasons earlier. "Blair!" she yelled out again as she raced towards the elevators, realizing it was indeed Blair and needing to know just what she was doing there. She couldn't bear for her to toy with Chuck anymore tonight. The poor guy was clearly dealing with enough heartbreak for one night. "B, stop!" she demanded as she stopped the doors of the elevator from closing. "What are you doing here?!"
"S, I'll explain sometime later but for now... if anyone asks, I wasn't here. You haven't seen me since I left to head to my mother's," Blair quickly informed her.
"Blair, I swear to God – he's been through enough tonight. If you're just going to toy with him or lead him on or give him anymore false hope-"
"No, I promise! I had an idea, but I need to talk to him. I need to know... I just need to talk it over with him, okay? I'll explain later," she hurriedly remarked as she slid her still working key card to the penthouse into the slot, quickly hitting the door close button.
Serena sighed as she watched the doors close. She could only hope Blair knew what she was doing and that Chuck wouldn't ended up in worse condition than he already was.
Alone in his penthouse with none other than his dog, Chuck allowed the tears he had been holding back since she walked out on him in the hotel room at the Four Seasons to finally fall. He had no sooner let his feelings begin to pour out when he heard the elevator chime, announcing the arrival of someone. At first he thought it might be Nate, back early, but then he heard the clicking of heels across the foyer and decided it was probably Serena, back for something she most likely had forgotten.
"Serena, what did you forget?" he questioned as she quickly wiped his eyes with the palm of his hand. Blair was the only one to ever see him cry. Turning to see for himself, he stared for a moment with his mouth open wide to see the sight of Blair herself walking towards him. "Blair? But... how? Why?" he managed to mutter as he was almost rendered speechless by her presence. "Shouldn't you be leaving for your royal honeymoon?"
"It had gotten too late so our flight has been postponed til morning. The St. Regis was more than happy to provide us with the honeymoon suite," she informed him as she took a seat next to him.
"And your oh-so-loving husband didn't notice his blushing bride missing from the bed?" he couldn't help sneering at the thought of her in bed with the jerk.
"Chuck, stop it," she protested. "Besides – it's a big suite with several rooms. Louis and I won't be sharing a bed, remember? He said it himself at the reception, behind closed doors we're strangers. So... I snuck out the back way. I needed to see you before I left in the morning."
"Why?" he demanded to know as he took another sip of scotch. "What more could you possibly tell me that you haven't already said tonight, Blair?" he angrily wondered. Unless she had reconsidered her decision to stay with the royal creep and was there to take him up on one of his offers he really didn't want to hear it.
"Chuck, I meant what I said that night of the accident. You're the one I never want to leave – I couldn't and still can't tell that to Louis and after tonight, I probably never will. I don't love him – I love you," she confessed to him once more.
"You never should have married him..." Chuck muttered as he hung his head in disdain. "You had several opportunities to end it before it happened... I offered you a way out, your mother offered you away out... even Serena offered to help you get out of it..."
"I know, Chuck, I know... but I don't know what I was thinking at the time..." she lamented. "Well okay, I guess I was thinking about the stupid pact I made with God but-"
"And what about your 'pact with God'? The whole reason you supposedly couldn't call the wedding off this afternoon?" he spat.
"I don't think God would want me to suffer in a sham of a marriage. Not after what Louis told me this evening. I don't think even God would punish someone for a year like that, making a mockery out of it..." Blair explained as she thought about it for the first time all night.
"So then what? Are you saying you're leaving him? That you're going to let me pay the dowry or help you find another way out of this?" Chuck hopefully wondered.
"No, Chuck, I still have to go through with it, for at most a year unless we find someway out of it sooner..."
"No, you don't!"
"Yes, I do – for the sake of my mother's business I have to go through with it, doing whatever it takes to keep it safe. Last year, you did the same to save your father's legacy from the Thorpes – I have to do this to save my mother's!" she reminded him, knowing he'd finally understand when she put it that way. "But I also know I can't go an entire year without you either," she calmly added.
"Then what are you proposing?" Chuck curiously questioned, not quite sure just what she was getting at.
"I may be legally married to Louis, but Chuck... mind, body and scheme... I'm completely yours," she told him as she looked him dead in the eye.
"Blair..." he started with a sigh of frustration as he rubbed his brow and began to realize what she was insinuating.
"Please, Chuck? They can't expect me to stay away from my family and friends here in the city – I'll be visiting at least once every month... we can make it work! Remember Junior year?"
"That was keeping things low-key and secret because of Nate... and we both remember how well that turned out. Besides, I'm pretty sure the Grimaldi's are smarter than Nate," he pointed out to her.
"True, but I'm willing to risk it if you are. We're older now, wiser... and this time we both want it to work out in our favor, whereas Junior year we weren't really sure what was happening between us at the time."
"And just how am I supposed to feel knowing he gets to be with you the majority of time throughout the year?" Chuck bit back. As much as he would love to have her as his in any capacity he could get, he wasn't particularly fond of sharing the things he actually cared about.
"But he doesn't "get" to be with me, remember? Strangers behind closed doors... I can easily go an entire year without having any relations with him in private. Especially when I know I have you to satisfy my every itch," she couldn't help smirking as she playfully stroked a finger along his shirt.
"And what about the tabloids and newspapers and paparazzi? If you don't put on a show for them obviously someone's going to connect the dots sooner or later – how am I supposed to feel seeing that?" he bitterly wondered.
"So don't read them," she stated. "And know that it's all for show. That I don't love him and never will."
"A year is still a year... a lot can happen in a year," he reminded her. "What if you change your mind? What if he changes his and starts falling for you again? Then what?"
"Chuck, you have nothing to worry about – after what he did... and his horrid family... once my time is up I'm out of there and on the next plane back filing for divorce... unless your jet can fly me faster," she added with a grin.
"Blair..." he signed once more in frustration.
"Chuck, we can make this work. I know we can and I know the others will be more than happy to help us sneak around. We can trust Nate and Serena..."
"Until you two have another one of your epic fights over nothing and she blasts it to Gossip Girl," Chuck quickly stated.
"S wouldn't do that to us – to just me, maybe... but not to us. And I trust Dorota completely as I know you trust Arthur. My mother despises the whole Grimaldi family at this point so I know she won't betray us and neither would my fathers."
Chuck sat there in complete silence for a moment as he processed everything she was saying. She did make some valid points and he so desperately wanted her, more than he wanted anything ever before.
"You know, I am a little hurt knowing that I'll never be your first," he finally spoke.
"But... you were my first," she responded, confused as to what he meant.
"Your first husband," he sadly clarified to her. "If this all works out the way we both want it... I'll always be husband number two – I'll never be your first and only."
"Legally that's true..." she lamented as she realized what he was saying. "But you'll always be my last and forever," she smiled at him with a shy little smile. "I only want you," she whispered as she brushed her lips against his ear only to be caught by surprise when he abruptly stood and walked over to the safe.
"If we're going to do this... two things," he declared as he quickly began to punch in the code to the safe. "One, take this," he instructed her as he walked back over and handed her an older cell phone. "Obviously the royals are going to be keeping tabs on who you talk to and contact – keep this one safe and hidden, but if you need anything, day or night, call me. If I'm in a meeting and it's important, I'll get out of it," he explained as she nodded, fully understanding. "And then second..." he began as he quickly went to the bedroom, reappearing a moment later. "I want you to have this and wear it always, as a reminder," he stated as he sat on the coffee table across from her and slipped a delicate, long chain over her neck, gently moving her hair out of the way.
Looking down, Blair gasped as she realized what it was - the Harry Winston engagement ring, now securely dangling on the chain around her neck.
"But Chuck... I thought you said in therapy that you had returned it?!"
"I did, but when your mother stopped by today, I made a quick detour to retrieve it... thinking I still had a chance," he informed her. "Besides, it's always been yours and yours alone. Keep it safe and one day, when this nightmare is behind us, I promise I'll properly ask to put it on your finger," he promised. He had no sooner spoken the words when she leaned forward and kissed him passionately, holding a hand to his face to keep him near and from suddenly pulling away.
"I love you, Chuck," she breathed as she slowly pulled away a moment later. "And I promise, I'll always keep it near to my heart – shouldn't be too hard to conceal it from the Grimaldi's anyway since Louis and I won't even be sharing a bed together..."
As he watched her carefully turned the magnificent stone in between her fingers, the hideous yellow diamond on her ring finger suddenly caught his eye.
"One more request, if I may?" Chuck had to ask as he gently took her left hand in his, waiting for the go ahead from her before continuing. "When we're together, if you could not wear these..." he spoke as he tapped his thumb against her bridal set. "It's just... I'd rather not have a reminder of him during the precious few times we get to be alone together."
"I completely agree," she nodded as she began to quickly remove said rings and sat them on the end table. "Now, Bass... my flight leaves at 7am and it's already after 2... what say we make the most of these next few hours before I need to sneak back to the St. Regis?" she said with a smirk as she stood and took his hand, leading him to the bedroom.
AN: Thoughts? Shall I continue this one? Originally I had wrote this as a one-shot but then I had several ideas for it so at the moment there's at least 5 chapters started/outlined for it (going thru the end of dreaded season 5) as Blair and Chuck attempt to keep a secret affair during the year she has to stay married to Louis. It won't be nearly as long as Chairytale is though!
And don't worry, for those that have followed my work for some time now, I haven't abandoned or given up on Chairytale - it's just on a brief, unplanned hiatus as things came up family and work wise and I just haven't had a chance to really sit down and work on the next chapter in that one like I want to. It will be updated soon though - I've just been stuck on the latest chapter.
If continued, this one will be rated M as there is a bit of smutplanned for later chapters ;-)